Cupar News : "PETITION LAUNCHED OVER LOSS OF DENTAL SERVICES
PEOPLE in Kinross have set up a group to challenge the loss of NHS dental services in the area.
Felicity Garvie from Scotlandwell, who has helped set up Save NHS Dentistry Kinross, said locals felt they had no other choice when one of two NHS practices in the area announced it was to reduce its lists.
The group has launched a petition for NHS dental services in Kinross to be improved and has already secured over 800 signatures and support from MSPs, councillors and Kinross Community Council.
'I received a letter at the start of the year informing me that my dentist was reducing her lists and that I would have to go on Denplan if I wanted to get back on her list,' said Ms Garvie.
'My family and I have been patients for about 10 years, but there are older people who have been there for over 30 years.'
However, Ms Garvie said that many patients cannot afford to go with Denplan, which requires that patients pay a monthly subscription for dental services.
'The signals show that this is the beginning of the privatisation of the NHS,' she said.
'There are a lot of people on low incomes who simply cannot afford to pay for this kind of treatment.'
Ms Garvie works as a parliamentary assistant for Scottish Socialist Party members Tommy Sheridan and Rosie Kane, whom she said have both raised the issue at the Scottish Parliament.
She said that the group may link-up with similar organisations across Scotland to convince the Scottish Executive to take statutory measures to ensure that graduates from dental schools have to work in the NHS for a period.
'It's clear that there is a desire by local people to do something about this,' she said.
'We know that people are leaving the NHS, but we are not going to sit back and let this happen.'
Morag Curnow, clinical dental director, NHS Tayside, said that as far as she was aware the practise would not be taking on any more NHS patients, but has not withdrawn from the NHS.
Dr Curnow added that a new NHS practise is due to open in Dundee early next year, which unregistered NHS patients from Kinross would be able to seek regular treatment from and that there are plans for a similar practise in Perth.
'At the moment we are in the process of building new premises for NHS dentists, who will be employed solely for NHS patients,' she said.
'We want a surgery to be used five days a week and we have to make sure that we use best practise with our resources and Perth is the best location available.'
Friday, June 16, 2006
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
School Meals Fight Goes On
Sunday Herald
WHEN Jamie Oliver prompted a school meals revolution south of the Border, ministers in Scotland had a right to feel smug. Way before celebrity chefs muscled in on education and even far in advance of the smoking ban, Scotland had been at the helm of another pioneering health initiative: Hungry For Success, an attempt to get our children playing, achieving and living longer by coaxing them off junk food and on to healthy eating at school...
Morgan also supports the introduction of free meals for all as a way to increase uptake, a policy advocated by Scottish Socialist Party MSP Frances Curran. Curran lodged a bill earlier this year for the introduction of universal free school meals in Scotland. The bill is backed by 21 MSPs, although Labour has failed to give it support, and parliament is expected to vote on it in autumn.
Curran said: “Making meals healthy, which Hungry For Success has done, is only half the equation. We have still got 50% of young people of secondary age who are not getting that healthy school meal and, in order to get them eating it, we’ve got to make them free.”
Curran argues that there are 100,000 children in Scotland who are on working family tax credit or whose families don’t take up their free meal entitlement because of stigma, and are consequently missing out on perhaps their only healthy meal of the day. As part of Hungry For Success, the Executive did encourage local authorities to introduce an anonymised system of free school meal receipt – which is now operated in 44% of schools – to tackle the stigma issue, but Curran says this is not enough. “Free school meals take away this stigma and give them the healthy meal, and those are the children in particular we should be targeting.”
To further her case, Curran has consulted researchers from Hull who, in order to tackle poverty, health and educational attainment, made all school meals free in both primary and secondary schools in May 2004. Take-up increased dramatically from 36% to 64%, with researchers reporting an increase in readiness to learn among the children. “The answer is in Hull,” Curran said, “and what is most interesting is that in the schools where the biggest percentage of children were previously entitled to free school meals, there is also a large percentage of children who are working poor [not entitled to free meals], and uptake in those schools has rocketed to 98%.”
Finland and Sweden have had free school meals for more than 50 years and have reported similar successes. The message of eating healthily and as a social activity is built firmly into the curriculum, and teachers sit down to eat alongside the children at lunch time.
WHEN Jamie Oliver prompted a school meals revolution south of the Border, ministers in Scotland had a right to feel smug. Way before celebrity chefs muscled in on education and even far in advance of the smoking ban, Scotland had been at the helm of another pioneering health initiative: Hungry For Success, an attempt to get our children playing, achieving and living longer by coaxing them off junk food and on to healthy eating at school...
Morgan also supports the introduction of free meals for all as a way to increase uptake, a policy advocated by Scottish Socialist Party MSP Frances Curran. Curran lodged a bill earlier this year for the introduction of universal free school meals in Scotland. The bill is backed by 21 MSPs, although Labour has failed to give it support, and parliament is expected to vote on it in autumn.
Curran said: “Making meals healthy, which Hungry For Success has done, is only half the equation. We have still got 50% of young people of secondary age who are not getting that healthy school meal and, in order to get them eating it, we’ve got to make them free.”
Curran argues that there are 100,000 children in Scotland who are on working family tax credit or whose families don’t take up their free meal entitlement because of stigma, and are consequently missing out on perhaps their only healthy meal of the day. As part of Hungry For Success, the Executive did encourage local authorities to introduce an anonymised system of free school meal receipt – which is now operated in 44% of schools – to tackle the stigma issue, but Curran says this is not enough. “Free school meals take away this stigma and give them the healthy meal, and those are the children in particular we should be targeting.”
To further her case, Curran has consulted researchers from Hull who, in order to tackle poverty, health and educational attainment, made all school meals free in both primary and secondary schools in May 2004. Take-up increased dramatically from 36% to 64%, with researchers reporting an increase in readiness to learn among the children. “The answer is in Hull,” Curran said, “and what is most interesting is that in the schools where the biggest percentage of children were previously entitled to free school meals, there is also a large percentage of children who are working poor [not entitled to free meals], and uptake in those schools has rocketed to 98%.”
Finland and Sweden have had free school meals for more than 50 years and have reported similar successes. The message of eating healthily and as a social activity is built firmly into the curriculum, and teachers sit down to eat alongside the children at lunch time.
Colin Fox Joins Aldermaston Protest
Greenpeace: "This morning a high level delegation of Church Leaders and members of the Scottish Parliament were refused a meeting by the Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) and turned away by armed police.
The delegation had formally requested a meeting with the Managing Director of AWE to ask why more than a billion pounds is being spent on new facilities and technical staff at Aldermaston despite the fact the government claim not to have made a decision on whether or not to replace Trident. "
The delegation had formally requested a meeting with the Managing Director of AWE to ask why more than a billion pounds is being spent on new facilities and technical staff at Aldermaston despite the fact the government claim not to have made a decision on whether or not to replace Trident. "
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Call for 'rendition' flight probe
BBC NEWS: "A human rights organisation and opposition MSPs have called on the Scottish Executive to investigate rendition flights at Prestwick Airport.
A Council of Europe inquiry said CIA flights carrying terror suspects used the Ayrshire airport to stop off on route to secret detention camps.
Amnesty International called for an investigation as a "matter of urgency".
Scottish Socialist MSP Rosie Kane said: 'The report clearly shows the UK have been involved in rendition.
'Governments involved in these activities should be in the dock including the UK government.' "
A Council of Europe inquiry said CIA flights carrying terror suspects used the Ayrshire airport to stop off on route to secret detention camps.
Amnesty International called for an investigation as a "matter of urgency".
Scottish Socialist MSP Rosie Kane said: 'The report clearly shows the UK have been involved in rendition.
'Governments involved in these activities should be in the dock including the UK government.' "
Fox Calls for Solidarity
The Daily Record:
THE Scottish Socialist Party could face a legal bill of £10,000 after one of their officials defied a court order.
The SSP's Alan McCombes was yesterday fined £500 for refusing to give up a document demanded by a newspaper defending a defamation action brought by party founder Tommy Sheridan.
But a judge also told him to pay costs run up by the English-based tabloid and foot the bill for searches of the party's offices by sheriff's officers.
SSP leader Colin Fox said yesterday that the party would cough up the cash.
He said: 'Clearly our lawyers will be in negotiations about the figure. What you can be assured is that the whole party will rally round.'"
THE Scottish Socialist Party could face a legal bill of £10,000 after one of their officials defied a court order.
The SSP's Alan McCombes was yesterday fined £500 for refusing to give up a document demanded by a newspaper defending a defamation action brought by party founder Tommy Sheridan.
But a judge also told him to pay costs run up by the English-based tabloid and foot the bill for searches of the party's offices by sheriff's officers.
SSP leader Colin Fox said yesterday that the party would cough up the cash.
He said: 'Clearly our lawyers will be in negotiations about the figure. What you can be assured is that the whole party will rally round.'"
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
SSP's McCombes due back in court
BBC NEWS The Scottish Socialist Party official who was jailed for failing to hand over documents is due back in court.
Alan McCombes, co-founder of the party, is due to attend the Court of Session on Tuesday, where Lady Smith will rule whether he was in contempt of court.
He was jailed last month for refusing to hand over an SSP document but released after three days when party officials presented it to the court.
Alan McCombes, co-founder of the party, is due to attend the Court of Session on Tuesday, where Lady Smith will rule whether he was in contempt of court.
He was jailed last month for refusing to hand over an SSP document but released after three days when party officials presented it to the court.
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